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In a record year of interest, it's perhaps fitting that the 100th entry to the 50th edition of the Transpacific Yacht Club'sbiennial 2225-mile Transpac race from LA to Honolulu is at 55 years old one of the oldest in the race yet also one of the most innovative in the last half-century of yacht design.

Chris Welsh's Spencer 65RAGTIME will be making her 17th race to Hawaii in July, more than any other yacht in the history of this race. Welsh has been an owner of RAGTIME since 2004, and since then has raced three Transpacs (2005, '07, '09), one race to Tahiti (2008) and the Sydney-Hobart Race (2008). “It's been ten years since we last sailed to Hawaii,” said Welsh, “so we're looking forward to having some fun again.”

Transpac Photo History

The Transpacific Yacht Club and Archipelagoes Tahiti are pleased to announce their plans to organize the 16th edition of the Transpac Tahiti Race in late May 2020. This is one of the world's longest classic ocean races, a 3570-mile voyage from Los Angeles to Papeete first sailed in 1925, with a small but influential group of boats and sailors counted among its alumni. Only 72 entries have raced to Tahiti in its entire history, with the last edition held 7 years ago in 2012.

Yet now the interest is strong, with over 40 guests attending a press announcement this evening at Los Angeles Yacht Club.

February 3rd, 1928: the birth of a visionary idea in offshore yachting

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - Not every yacht club is founded by a man lying down. It was, however, a man lying down on February 3, 1928 who brought forth the Transpacific Yacht Club. We might add that the man was a serial founder. It was true in his profession of radiology, also in his field of passion, sailing, where he had already founded the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Southern California Yachting Association and Pacific Coast Yachting Association. A contemporary said of him, “Al Soiland never seemed to rest,” and that was also true. On February 3, 1928 our man was in a hospital bed recuperating from an appendix operation, and Al Soiland had to be doing… something.

What he started, these many years later, now supports Transpac 50, coming up in July with a record 97 entries so far.